11. CONCLUSIONS

11.1 This final section considers issues arising from the survey. This survey is seen as a bench mark for future surveys and so standards of provision and practice can be compared with the results reported here.

11.2 The response rate for the survey was high; the quality of responses was also of a high standard. These suggest both high reliability and validity.

11.3 The comparison of Library Association guidelines and findings from the survey suggest while many schools are achieving minimum standards with respect to school library provision there is much variation and so many school libraries fall below these standards.

Only two percent of schools reported no library site.

Overall, 36.8 % of libraries were open for fewer than 31 hours per week; 52.0% were open between 31 and 40 hours and 11.2% were open 41 hours or longer.

Over 30% of school libraries are run without full-time or part-time librarian or teacher involvement, irrespective of size. There was a full time chartered librarian in 23.8% of school libraries, a full time teacher in teacher in 30% of school libraries and a part time librarian or teacher in 14.7% of school libraries.

Over 36% of schools reported one or more library assistants as additional staff; 7.4% reported one or more additional librarians, 8% reported one or more additional teachers in the library. Over 50% reported pupil volunteers in the library but only 9% used parent volunteers.

Only 29% of school libraries replace more than 10% of stock each year; 29.5% replace between 5% and 10% each year and 41.5% replace less than 5% each year. This latter group taking up to twenty years to replace all stock. A fifth of all schools would take up to fifty years!.

Only 25% of school libraries reported 13 or more items of stock per pupil; 18% reported between 10 and 13 items pp, 57% reported fewer than 10 items pp.

While the percentages stocking other types of resource varied from over 90% for CD ROM disks, to under 24% for music recording, only just over 30% reported an additional significant collection.

Of those responding, 8.7% of school libraries had no computer work station; 15.9% had one, 36.8% had between 2 and 4, and 38.5% had 5 or more. As a matter of interest 12.7% had 10 or more work stations.

Only 13.1% of schools spent £10 or more per pupil on library books and other resources; 22.7% spent between £5 and £10 , 43.5% spent between £2 and £5 and 20.6% spent less than £2 per pupil.

Of those responding, 67.8% had a written library policy.

Nearly 61% had a school library development plan.

In 68.7% of cases the library featured in the school development plan.

Only 8.9% of persons responsible for the library reported receiving schemes of work from subject departments or faculties all or most of the time.

Only in 27.2% of cases did the school library work closely with all departments.

A majority of schools (85%) attempted to teach specific information skills systematically to particular years or groups across the school. Library staff were often involved in planning this teaching (80%); teaching (85%), designing (72%) and evaluating work (47%).

The person responsible for the library tended not to be involved in school meetings. For departmental meetings 35% did not attend at all, while 23% attended most of the time. For SMT meetings these percentages were 71% and 11.5%, and for curriculum development meeting the percentages were 52% and 20% respectively.

There was no School Library Service for 15.7% of schools, 69.4% made use of a SLS but 14.9% did not.

Nearly 39% of schools had a computer network that included the library.

Over 57% of school libraries had an automated library management system.

Only just over 30% of school libraries had Internet access.

Nearly 88% of school libraries had a CD ROM player.

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